What's your favorite hyung?

[Teufel Hunden]

For whatever reason, mine has always been Naihanji Cho Dan. I guess I've always liked what it represented (I was taught you're fighting people on both sides on a narrow mountain pass), and the simplicity makes the techniques themselves stand out more.... like a garden of bamboo trees vs. a mixed flower garden.

What are some of your favorite hyungs, and why?

 

[MasterPistella]

I'm kind of partial to the Chil Sung forms myself. They have more of the softer side of TSD in them. But favorite of all....Kong San Koon. I guess that to me has always represented the last step to becoming a "master" since it's the form to test for sa dan.

 

[JWLuiza]

I'm kind of partial to the Chil Sung forms myself. They have more of the softer side of TSD in them. But favorite of all....Kong San Koon. I guess that to me has always represented the last step to becoming a "master" since it's the form to test for sa dan.

Ha! I knew your name was familiar Master Pistella!

I'm not familiar with the Chil Sun or Yuk Ro sets other than from youtube.

The first form I loved was Nijushiho (aka Ee Sip Sa Bo) but I am also very fond of EunBi (Empi).

 

[MCzapka]

My favourite traditional form is Kong Sang Koon - becouse it is summary of pyung ahn set.

But from all TSD hyungs my favourite are Chil Sungs - especially Chil Sung no 5 and no 7 and Hwa Sun Hyung.

 

[AmericanTangSooDo]

There are so many forms, all very beautiful to watch and perform. However favorite would have to be Kong Sang Koon, followed very close behind by Bassai.

 

[SahBumNimRush]

I have to agree with AmericanTSD, my favorite is Kang Song Koon, followed by a very close Bassai.. . then Jin Do (Chinto) in third.

I'm also partial to Rohai, although our Kwan Jang Nim no longer really teaches that form anymore.

 

[rmclain]

This is a difficult question. Either Oh Ship Sa Bo (Go Ju Shi Ho), Ship Pal, or So Ho Yun.

R. McLain

 

[JWLuiza]

This is a difficult question. Either Oh Ship Sa Bo (Go Ju Shi Ho), Ship Pal, or So Ho Yun.

R. McLain

I do a version of Gojushiho Dai and love practicing it. The cat stances are great workouts for the legs.

My friend did Ship Pal on her Ee Dan test. The elbow Jump kick, drop to ground sequence looks silly hard.

So Ho Yun is just...whoa.

 

[Makalakumu]

I like the Pyung Ahn set. I teach them most often and understand them in the most detail because of it. I find that I have to force myself to focus on the other hyung in private practice.

 

[Tim37200]

As a 3rd Dan I have to say I do love Kong Sang Koon. It's so long and so powerful, and I love the idea of the Eagle representing it as well as "viewing the sky." My all time favorite might be Chil Sung 5 though, my instructor competed with it for years and years and it felt like such a gift to be taught it after all that time. Finally I LOVE the Yuk Ro forms (2 is my favorite so far) as they're different and so rich in history.

 

[kbarrett]

I would have to say "Hwa Sun Hyung" is my favorite, I have herd it's been changed as of late, but I practice the one I've learned, it meet what I want in an empty hand hyung.

Ken Barrett

 

[Tez3]

I like the Pyung Ahn set. I teach them most often and understand them in the most detail because of it. I find that I have to force myself to focus on the other hyung in private practice.

These are the simplified Pinan and Heien katas of Wado and Shotokan, I prefer them in that form rather than the TSD versions. They have little depth in TSD so much is missed out.

 

[Makalakumu]

These are the simplified Pinan and Heien katas of Wado and Shotokan, I prefer them in that form rather than the TSD versions. They have little depth in TSD so much is missed out.

I agree and I've been slowly adding in the missing flavor as time goes on. I'd love to video my kata now and compare then to the videos I took seven years ago. My kata have definitely changed!

 

[Tez3]

I agree and I've been slowly adding in the missing flavor as time goes on. I'd love to video my kata now and compare then to the videos I took seven years ago. My kata have definitely changed!

Glad I'm not the only one! I put back the stances and as much as I can.

 

[Makalakumu]

Glad I'm not the only one! I put back the stances and as much as I can.

One of the things I like about TSD is that we don't have hard traditions when it comes to passing down the kata exactly like it was taught from Sensei to Sensei. This allows me to build my understanding and change angle the hand motions, emphasize grabbing motions, or shift the footwork to reflect the application that I'm thinking about. I put most of my work into the Pinan kata because I teach those most often. Now that I have more students advancing in rank, I should be able to spend more time with the higher kata.

 

[Muwubu16858]

Ship Pahl is my all time favorite (Seipai), which I learned in 2006 and is my usual demo form. I still practice it at least 10 times daily for 5 years. I started learning Sorim Jang Kwon 1 month ago after years of begging and pleading. I usually practice a form for at least 1 year before I ever demo.

 

[TenHands]

Bassai So. I taught it to myself after switching to Shotokan, out of sheer curiosity. I find this form fascinating in that it deviates much more from its Shotokan roots in contrast to the other Tang Soo Do forms, which retain much similarity to their Japanese counterparts. O Sip Sa Bo has a similar story in that it mirrors Gojushiho but is actually quite unique to Tang Soo Do.

In fact, I might even like Bassai So even more than Bassai Sho. It has a very distinct Chinese look to it, which is always nice. c:

 

[dvcochran]

Bassai So. I taught it to myself after switching to Shotokan, out of sheer curiosity. I find this form fascinating in that it deviates much more from its Shotokan roots in contrast to the other Tang Soo Do forms, which retain much similarity to their Japanese counterparts. O Sip Sa Bo has a similar story in that it mirrors Gojushiho but is actually quite unique to Tang Soo Do.

In fact, I might even like Bassai So even more than Bassai Sho. It has a very distinct Chinese look to it, which is always nice. c:

Kong Sang Koon, especially when I could do it in my peak. Rohai would be a close 2nd.
Because my lower body is kind of shot for the moment Jion is more my speed these days.

 

[TenHands]

Kong Sang Koon, especially when I could do it in my peak. Rohai would be a close 2nd.
Because my lower body is kind of shot for the moment Jion is more my speed these days.

I have a hypothesis that this right here is the exact reason Jion is a more highly-ranked hyung than KSK/Rohai. I think Hwang Kee figured that the more senior members would have limited movement due to age or other factors, so he made the less mobile, more strength-based hyung reserved for the senior masters, with the more agile and mobile hyung reserved for the younger practitioners. This hypothesis extends to O Sip Sa Bo as well, and can also be applied to Shotokan's kata/rank logic (i.e. Unsu/Gankaku being lower-ranked and Meikyo/Wankan being reserved for senior members).

Thank you for giving more weight to my hypothesis. c:

 

[dvcochran]

I have a hypothesis that this right here is the exact reason Jion is a more highly-ranked hyung than KSK/Rohai. I think Hwang Kee figured that the more senior members would have limited movement due to age or other factors, so he made the less mobile, more strength-based hyung reserved for the senior masters, with the more agile and mobile hyung reserved for the younger practitioners. This hypothesis extends to O Sip Sa Bo as well, and can also be applied to Shotokan's kata/rank logic (i.e. Unsu/Gankaku being lower-ranked and Meikyo/Wankan being reserved for senior members).

Thank you for giving more weight to my hypothesis. c:

Nail on the head.